Takao Kisugi -- Yaketa Natsu （灼けた夏）

Ironically, although Japan was the country that finally got me weaned onto the golden brewskis (working for a national government programme in my old country inevitably meant a lot of enkai [drinking parties] and that of course led to practically mandatory consumption of beer), I only rose to the level of social drinker during my 17 years in the Kanto. However, there are millions of drinkers there that absolutely look forward to guzzling down multiple mugs in the various rooftop beer gardens and izakaya at all levels especially with the incredible heat and humidity.

Takao Kisugi's（来生たかお）goodtime "Yaketa Natsu" (Burning Summer) brings back all those memories of imbibing mass quantities. Mind you, the lyrics by his sister, Etsuko（えつこ）, have him crying in his beer about a lost love. However, his jangly melody is pretty chipper...probably good for some car stereo listening while bombing down the Wangan Expressway by Tokyo Bay. Just the way his 2nd single from July 1977 flows (like the proverbial draft from the tap) has me imagining about the summers way back when in a way similar to the feelings I get for Taeko Ohnuki's （大貫妙子）"Summer Connection" which came out just a few days after "Yaketa Natsu".

The single was also a track on Kisugi's 2nd album, "Zig Zag"（ジグザグ）which came out later in the year in October.